Edited and translated by People's Daily Online
Senior officials from the United States, South Korea, and Japan met in Washington on Jan. 17, their first meeting since the end of 2011, to exchange views on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, resumption of the six-party talks, and other issues.
It is worth noting that while trying to keep "open channels of communication," the three countries stressed again that the core goal of the six-party talks is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The Korean Peninsula is facing a delicate situation. China attaches great importance to preserving peace and stability on the peninsula, and hopes that the United States, South Korea, and Japan can play an active and constructive role in this regard.
The three countries are major stakeholders in the Korean Peninsula denuclearization process and key members of the six-party talks. Maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula is their duty, and an effective way of protecting their interests.
Admittedly, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner is a major goal of the six-party talks. However, the September 19 Joint Statement, the most substantive outcome of the nuclear talks so far, shows that the main goals of the talks also include the normalization of the relations between concerned countries as well as establishment of a security mechanism for maintaining peace and stability in northeast Asia.
The statement is not outdated, and still has urgent practical significance. The six-party talks is a gradual process, and it is necessary to implement agreements reached at the talks in an all-round and balanced way.
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